80 REASONS WHY WE SHOULD FAST
– In Two Parts –
40 Spiritual Bible Reasons
40 Physical Health Reasons
By Franklin Hall
Authority on prayer, Fasting,
40 SPIRITUAL BIBLE REASONS
1. Perhaps the main reason why we should fast is because Jesus, our Redeemer, placed a fast upon all of us. Matt. 9:15: “And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride-chamber mourn, as long as the
bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.” We therefore are to fast to carry on the works for the kingdom that Jesus started by His fastings and prayers.
2. We should fast because fasting was a part and parcel of the life of our Lord, Jesus Christ (Matt. 4:1, 2; Jn. 6:27,) and He urged us to follow Him (Lk. 9:23.)
3. Jesus taught fasting as one of the four foundations of the Christian faith. These foundations are: giving, praying, fasting and faith. (Please study Matt. 6.)
4. Paul was “in fastings often” (II Cor. 11:27.) He instructed us to be “…approving ourselves as the ministers of God (among other things) …in fastings” (II Cor. 6:5.)
5. Every single person in the early church fasted (Acts 14:23.) We therefore are not to do less.
6. Fasting enables one to become a conductor of spiritual power for either blessing others or for bringing blessings to himself.
7. Proper fasting with sincerity and respect to the Lord will positively break the yokes of sin, sickness and spiritual oppression (Is. 58:6.)
8. Fasting becomes prayer to the praying Christian. When unable to pray (like David,) it enables one to be so anointed that his prayer reaches through to God. Ps. 35:13: “I humbled my soul with fasting and
my prayer returned unto my bosom.”
9. Fasting intensifies the power of prayer many times so that even short prayers bring results.
10. Fasting reaches and obtains what prayer alone cannot, because it removes unbelief (Matt. 17:, 21.)
11. Fasting brings one into direct contact with unbelief, so that it can be removed. Unbelief can never be fully apprehended until one fasts from ten to forty days.
12. Fasting is the greatest faith producer because the fasting and the faith organ are one and the same-the mouth organ (Rom. 10:9, 10.)
13. Fasting Is more closely related to faith than any other Christian work, and In fact Is the very gateway to trust and have faith In God after conversion. However, because It is little taught about and understood, folk fall to realize Its value. (Here we are dealing with consecrated fasting).
14. Fasting will bring about word-faith power (LP. 4:2, 32, 36.) Jesus’ “word” was not “with power” until after His fast.
15. Fasting will “BLITZKRIEG” the devil. (See above scriptures.)
16. Fasting masters the old man, subjugating the flesh (I Cor. 9:27,) and is mortification of the flesh and members (Col. 3:5.)
17. Fasting pleases the Spirit. The flesh and the Spirit are at enmity with each other.
18. Fasting is the most sure spiritual method to bring a revival. A revival begins in our heart first, then one comes about in the community. Souls become saved.
19. Fasting enables one to transcend the natural and takes one quickly into the spiritual realm. We may become so personal and intimate with Jesus that we smell His body. He is a sweet smelling Savor.
20. Fasting brings one nearer to Christ than arty other known process. It enables one to become clothed with the full Baptism of the Holy Ghost and with Fire. (Please see Ex. 14; 34:27-35; Deut. 34:7; Is.
58:1-10; 60:1-5, 21, 23; 61:10; Matt. 3:11, 12.)
21. There is more judgment pronounced upon those given to food addiction than to alcoholic drunkards (in the Bible.) Sin is sin whether it comes under the good name of “food” or under some more insidious
term. (Please study Num. 11:9-34; Ps. 78; Matt. 24:38, 39; Lk. 21:34; and Rom. 16:17, 18.) Most Christians are unknowingly bound to the sin of “habit hunger” (actually food addiction.) A protracted fast will break this yoke in as little as three days’ time, and will keep an individual free with temperate eating.
22. Fasting will undo all sins of intemperance (after Jesus’ blood has first washed away our sins.)
23. Fasting will crucify the flesh and all unnatural desires associated with lusts of any appetite gratification.
24. Fasting can be self-chastisement, and will prevent many chastisements of the Lord from corning upon us (I Kings 21:25-29; Jonah 3:5-10.)
25. Fasting is the easiest way for backsliders to come home. (Study David’s fasts.) Refer to Psalms 35:13; 109:24.
26. Fasting places our natural appetites into a dormant condition, thus physical pleasures are not enjoyed while our flesh becomes sublimated. With pleasurable appetites static, God can come near us and we near Him.
27. Fasting thus changes one’s environment from the natural to the spiritual. A revival spirit comes about inside us, along with the proper burdens that we should carry for others.
28. Fasting will change a life of defeat into one of victory and will bring healing and new life to both body and soul.
29. Fasting, when properly entered into, is the surest method of consecration and sanctification.
30. Fasting develops the fruit of the Spirit and enables one to grow into maturity, with matured fruit.
31. Proper fasting will help one to receive spiritual gifts. Most Christians, like the children of Israel, are wasting forty years of their lifetime (even with speaking in tongues) without deeper spiritual gift manifestations and without the fruit of the Spirit, just because they fail to fast as they should. (Please study Deut. 8:2, 3; Dan. 1:3-17.)
32. Fasting consumes and burns out the very roots of fleshly lusts.
33. Fasting brings one into the misery and sufferings of the fleshly nature in such a manner that he can see himself in the same light that Jesus sees him. He realizes his nakedness (Rev. 3:17, 18) so he begins to seek to be clothed with power, receiving the more complete baptism into the Holy Ghost healing Fire.
34. Fasting gives the child of God spiritual manifestations in a tangible manner. The absence of the natural menu prepares his appetite for the “Hidden (Supernatural) Manna” (Jn. 4:32, 34; 6:27-58; Rev.
2:17.)
35. Fasting always brings revelations and better understanding of the Spirit. Sometimes visions and unspeakable glory will also be attained and manifested (Dan. 10:2-21; Acts 10:9-16.)
36. Fasting will always enable one to obtain the direction and anointing needed for the work to which he is called.
37. Fasting enlarges our capacity. Many of us have only a thimble-size capacity. We might be full at times, but how full? Shouting and spiritual emotion do not always indicate how large our capacities
are. A person may be running over with only a thimble-size capacity. Fasting will give a well-size or even unlimited capacity to enjoy the riches of heaven, immortality, glory, honor and power. (Refer to Jn. 3:34; Rom. 2:7; Eph. 4:13.)
38. Fasting and its related terms of expression are mentioned one third as many times in the Bible as prayer. To every two sermons you hear preached on prayer, you should hear a third sermon on fasting. The author asks the reader this question: How many times has he ever heard a sermon on fasting in his lifetime? It is truly deplorable that such a major doctrine in both the Old and New Testaments has been so neglected, ignored and disrespected.
39. The Lord placed a definite fast on the children of Israel (Deut, 6:11, 12; 8:3, 12-14, etc.) in order that their unbelief environment, acquired in the land of Egypt, could be broken, and they could more speedily enter into the promised land. Because they rejected these fastings their few days’ journey was drawn
out to 40 years. We should take heed to this sad lesson and hasten for fast, so we may enter into the promises that the Lord has waiting for us (Jn. 11:24-26; II Tim. 1:10; I Jn. 2:25.)
40. Jesus is very much pleased when we come to Him in this consecrated manner. As we free ourselves from the natural we exalt Him to the highest. Don’t worry, you will be rewarded a thousand times.
We have just touched briefly upon some of the spiritual reasons why we should fast. Please remember that in the above statements, we are referring only to the consecration fast, one which is dedicated to the Lord.
40 PHYSICAL HEALTH REASONS
(See Isaiah 58th Chapter)
We are again discussing why we should fast, only this time we are considering the subject from the scientific physical standpoint instead of the spiritual. Bear in mind that any person, saved or unsaved, can receive the secondary physical blessings of fasting, but only the consecrated child of God can receive the full spiritual blessings.
When we go into food abstention, we give the stomach a vacation and vacate into the Spirit. The tabernacle of the Holy Spirit then goes into house cleaning. Cleanliness is next to godliness. Nothing can clean up the house of the Holy Spirit more effectively and quickly than giving the stomach a holiday.
If the physical benefits were all that were received; they would be worth fasting for, and people would live 25 to 35 years longer (according to some authorities.) Many of God’s people are committing
“Slow Suicide” by being continually on a three meal a day stuffing habit, not ,satisfied with stuffing God and faith out of their lives, but stuffing out their own life years ahead of time as well. They stuff
health out and invite diseases and demons in. After wearing out one set of teeth digging themselves to the grave, many secure another set to finish digging with.
FOOD ADDICTS ABOUND IN THE CHURCH
Food addiction or food drunkenness is as harmful to the temple of the Holy Ghost as other types of addiction. Please see Psalm 78 for proof of this.
We shall consider some of the physical reasons “Why to Fast”-believe it or not:
41. Fasting is the greatest curative agency known.
42. Fasting is the quickest curative agency known.
43. When you feed a diseased body you feed the disease; fasting starves the disease.
44. Fasting rids the body of practically all the unwanted poisonous filth of auto-intoxication.
45. Fasting purifies the blood stream.
48. Fasting improves the circulation. It even cleanses the blood vessels so that the blood circulates all through vessels that may have heretofore been choked up. A blood transfusion comes automatically
about.
47. Fasting rests the heart, improves health and helps the body overcome heart troubles.
48. Fasting conserves energy. Sick people cannot get well unless there is a conservation of energy. Many times food will destroy or waste what little energy a sick individual has.
49. Fasting gives the overworked stomach a vacation as well as nearly all other parts of the body.
50. Fasting rapidly removes the cause of many diseases. Oftentimes the very disease itself is turned into food fuel for its own destruction, any value in it being utilized for nourishment.
51. Fasting will cure 99% of functional ailments.
52. Fasting quickly heals simple diseases such as boils, skin blemishes, indigestion, dyspepsia, constipation (although at first the fast seems to aggravate the condition,) rheumatism, fever, anemia, asthma, change of life and irregular periodical functions in females, restoring to normal and healing other diseases. Major fasting will also cure most other major diseases caused by impurities in the system.
53. Fasting improves the mental faculties, making it easier to think, study, remember and concentrate. (During some parts of the fast, this may not always be true.)
54. Fasting eradicates mucous, stringy, ropey fecal material and floating food particles within the body.
55. After ten or fifteen days of fasting the individual usually becomes stronger, physically, day by day, after the initial cleansing of the body takes place.
56. The headache generally felt while fasting is a sure indication that you should fast.
57. Fasting will remove ordinary headaches and the coffee or caffeine headache, along with the over-use of coffee or any other abnormal habits.
58. Fasting will also eradicate tobacco, drug and drinking habits in as little time as three days, water only taken during the fast, with temperate eating habits after the fast. The roots of these habits are imbedded within the stomach. Fasting consumes these very roots, banishing addiction.
59. A person cannot starve while fasting. Only the things that are not needed within the body are used: Some of these are poisonous, contaminated, rotten food particles that have been on the walls of the
stomach for months. Some doctors have said that dehydrated food and even worms were found impacted on the walls of the intestinal tract for more than 15 years. This very condition invites disease and demons, and with fasting they are starved out.
60. Fasting is the greatest natural youth restorer known. It also beautifies the complexion.
61. Regular fasting prolongs life from twenty to forty years, depending on how much and how properly the fasts are entered into.
62. Fasting will remove tumors as large as watermelons, also ulcers, cancer and goiters, and will revitalize the glands.
63. The weakness felt while fasting generally disappears after the worst poisons and pollutions are removed by the house cleaning process. (This weakness is caused by rubbish and poisons being stirred within the body.)
64. Fasting, after two weeks, more or less, causes the breath that was so foul during the first of the fast to become clean and pure like that of a child.
65. Fasting removes bad tastes from the mouth.
66. Fasting will so purify the skin that often the complexion becomes rosy and like a young person’s.
67. The older a person becomes the more often he should fast, though shorter fasts should be taken. No one is too old to fast. In S.A.fact, the older one is, the less food is required. History and the Bible show us that the men and women who fasted the most lived the longest. Study the lives of Moses, Elijah and Anna the prophetess. These individuals were likewise the most spiritual.
68. Fasting helps us to overcome many bad habits.
69. Fasting develops patience, aids temperance and enables one to have proper spiritual growth as well as physical prosperity.
70. Fasting overcomes and aids in the prevention of disease.
71. Fasting draws the intestinal tract up and into its normal size and overcomes and prevents colitis and piles.
72. Fasting restores a natural, normal appetite (after the fast is broken properly.)
73. Thin persons might not realize that they need to fast, in some cases even more than a heavy person. The reason is very simple. The thin individual has so many times overworked his organs by overeating, that he is incapable of putting on weight. I have seen many an underweight person fast from two to three weeks and weigh more after breaking the fast properly than he weighed before fasting. A heavy person usually is in good enough health so that his organs put on weight. However, one should not in any case be a glutton.
74. Fasting is a normalizing agent: It will help to restore weight to underweight folk and aid in preventing excessive weight on overweight folk.
75. Fasting will aid in cases of insomnia. At first an automatic blood transfusion is set up within the body by the blood remaining from the weight that is lost. This excess blood goes through the body to bathe the organs and it enters into the head causing sleeplessness for a time. Later on, and after the fast, one finds rest and sleep easier and more refreshing.
76. Excess starches and sweets cause the body to be converted into an alcohol factory. This in turn causes habit hunger (lust hunger) which is entirely different from true hunger. There are perhaps more people bound to this habit than there are to the drinking habit. The former is about as difficult to break. Jesus classifies it as just as much of a sin as the drink habit (Luke 21:34.)
77. Fasting will undo the hunger habit of lust and will prevent folk from being drunk on food. Actually, when folk have great difficulty in fasting, they are under bondage to the food addiction habit in the
same manner as those who are under alcohol, drug, tobacco or other types of bondages. Fasting only a few days can break the bondage of food addiction.
78. Fasting aids and improves our sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. All sense faculties are benefited.
79. Fasting should be frequent, to clean and keep clean the temple and home of the Holy Spirit and to keep from food addiction habits.
80. Fasting seems to take one into a different world. It is wonderful to taste and experience. It makes for better harmony for the person, his family, friends and community. Couples having family difficulties and discord oftentimes come together in a new understanding, with new love and success after a major fast (see I Cor. 7.)
WARNING: Please do not attempt a long fast without first having complete information as to the proper procedure of breaking into eating again. Consecrated Bible fasting is not harmful, but the way and manner of starting in to eat again can prove detrimental and the physical benefits received may be undone if too much is eaten, too soon. Satan tempted the Lord to eat after His fast. We also may be tempted to overeat right after a major fast.
If this message has been enlightening to you, please “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it” (Prov. 3:27.)
You can have a part in stirring a world-wide revival by getting the secret of revivals into the hands of other folk. We send out thousands of letters every month containing this kind of literature. Your help on postage is appreciated.
MANY SAINTS UNKNOWINGLY ARE UNDER FOOD ADDICTION BONDAGE ENVIRONMENT
In summing up the facts of fasting in this enlightening bulletin, the author calls attention to two major desires of Jesus Christ our Forgiver of sins and our Baptizer of divine healing. His full aim is to keep us from sin forever, and likewise from sickness forever. He liberated us from both the Adamic sin and the Adamic sickness. When we (really and truly) possess the experiences of both body felt and heartfelt salvation we have no more sickness, tiredness or sin, ever, just as tong as we continue serving Jesus the giver of these blessings.
It was never intended for man to always be on a two, three or more meal a day stuffing program. By obtaining the above double blessing experience of getting our body saved as well as our soul, we then by
fasting become loosened from the food-addiction-bondage. We become acclimated to a new, supernatural, tangible, tree of life menu. After we become weaned away from the food bondage and food slavery addiction appetite, our attentions are focused to the new menu of eating from the life giving menu of the Lord’s everlasting body. Feeding from His remarkable body nourishes us back into everlasting life. We then lose our natural appetite for things that are corruptible, carnal, temporal
and earthly. On Jesus’ (Jn. 6:27) enduring, eternal life menu, we will not get hungry again. We can be nourished away entirely from sickness, disease and harmful, accident things. (See all of John 6; Rom. 16:17, 18; Phil. 3:17, 19; etc..)
This truth helps us to bring about the ministry forsurvival. It is one of the most important messages in the Bible, yet deplorably neglected. Our previous supply of this message has been exhausted. Kindly assist us in printing another million articles of this great message.
HALL DELIVERANCE FOUNDATION, INC.BOX 9910 PHOENIX, ARIZONA 85068, U.
By Franklin Hall
